Lost Cause Diaries 11: Graduation
by HPDrummerman
Summary: Charlie Brown, and his friends, graduate from high school. Charlie even makes a speech at the ceremony. Lucy doesn't attend the graduation, opting for her diploma to be mailed to her (she barely passes). Finally having enough of Lucy and the family, in general (with the exception of Rerun), Linus makes a fateful decision after graduation.
1. Chapter 0

Lost Cause Diaries #11: Graduation

**INTRODUCTION by HPDrummerman**

_ Hey folks! I hope you have enjoyed this prequel mini-series thus far. We are coming into the homestretch of this and I wanted to share with you what this next story will be about. We will go into the future of the PEANUTS gang and see how their adult lives shape up, all the way to the fateful night that Lucy ended her life as depicted in David Crap-Writer's "A Waste of Time and Space", and I suggest those who haven't read that fanfic to read it after reading this one. I have it listed as a favorite in my profile if you don't want to search too long. So this one and the last story after this one will probably be longer than the previous stories. So let's get things started._

**UP NEXT, OUR STORY CONTINUES… **


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1: POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE**

Graduation had arrived for Charlie and the gang. Sally still had a couple of years to go, and Rerun was about to finish junior high. Everyone else was about to move on and start college. Charlie had improved his grades and even ended his grade school days as a B student, which was fine by him. Linus was co-valedictorian with Marcie. Most of the other kids did good, as well. Lucy barely made it with a D average. As bad as Lucy did in school, at least she completed it, unlike Tricia, who quit her junior year. She was working at a burger joint to help her father out with the income. She had spoken to Charlie and Linus till, but as far as Marcie went, the two of them hadn't spoken to each other since her quitting. Charlie had earned a scholarship to a culinary school to become a certified chef. Linus had other plans. He would wait until he turned 18 and he was going to give a big surprise to his parents and Lucy.

But as the day of graduation came, most of the kids were there, except for Lucy, who stayed home and would have her diploma delivered to her. She didn't want to deal with the kids anymore, plus she couldn't find a gown for her large frame. It was just as well as she might have had run-ins with Charlie or her brother, Linus. One thing was for certain; she was the farthest thing on either of their minds.

As the principal announced Marcie and Linus as the valedictorians, they both took the stage. Linus began, "Usually, I have something to say without much preparation. But, for once, this is one time that I have nothing to say. So I decided to have my best friend since we were kids, Charles Brown, say some words."

And Charlie took the stage and went towards the podium. He looked around the open football field filled with his friends and fellow graduates. After clearing his throat he began.

"I think about where I was years ago to where I am now. And I can honestly say, I never thought I would ever make it this far. For those who know me knew what my childhood was like. For years I suffered crippling depression and self-pity. What didn't help was that some of my fellow classmates added to that same depression. But I also had friends who truly cared about me, and it was them who helped me through. And with their love and help, my teenaged years was far less depressing. My self-pity had went away, and I began being more assertive. And now I can say that I made it. While my adulthood is just beginning, I can at least say I'm ready to deal with the world as a whole. I'm not afraid anymore and I still have my sanity.

"And this may be the case for all of you as it is for me. There were many others that had insecurities, whether it was wondering if that girl or boy liked you, if you could be successful at whatever you chose to do in life, if people were truly your friends. While I had a few detractors, I had more supporters. I may had not seen it as a kid, but as a teen, I started seeing it more and more that there were more people cheering me on than those that didn't. And I also learned to ignore the detractors and listen to those who have your back. For they are the ones who will stay with you through thick and thin. And while there will be disagreements, the true friends are the one who will compromise and even accept there will be differences of opinion sometimes. And as we enter into an uncertain world, I can take comfort in the fact that I have friends that care for me, and you will have friends that care for you. Not to mention family who also love you. So as you enter this world as adults, don't take your friends for granted, as they will be the ones who will have your back till the end. Thank you."

And everyone applauded Charlie, as he shook the principal's hand and hugged Linus and Marcie. Then he took his seat back in the crowd of the graduating class. Charlie was ready to take on the world as the kids threw their hats in the air after graduating from high school.

**FOR THE NEXT CHAPTERS, WE SEE THE PEANUTS GANG AS THEY GO THROUGH LIFE**


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: LINUS'S BIG BREAK**

_**Two years later**_

Linus had put up with Lucy's torment and bullying for years. Whether she was going to extremes to break him of his "habit" of holding a blanket, endless punches to the face for saying or doing something "stupid", forcing him to change from what he was watching on TV, making him serve on her hand and foot after changing said channel, kicking him out of the house as Rerun was entering the world, or just being outright mean to him for no other reason than being her younger brother. And as they got older, the abuse got worse. So bad that Linus took up weight-lifting as a means of protecting himself. And after Lucy smashed his face into a bowl of cereal because he ate the last Frosted Flakes, Linus physically had a "Come to Jesus" with her and said if she ever laid a finger on him or Rerun ever again, he would kill her. After that, she left him alone, but still hurled insults his way.

The day that Linus turned 18 had come, and he had finished his classes at Sparkyville Community College. While he could have gone to any school, his mother Lacey blew what was supposed to be his tuition money on larger clothes for Lucy, who was also going to the same community college. So around 11th grade, Linus started doing odd jobs at Charlie's father's barber shop with his best friend and earned some money. In fact, he had Silas hold on to most of his money for him, only giving him some for spending and eventually, car insurance once he bought his own vehicle. Luckily he never had to give Lucy rides because he had morning classes and she had evening classes.

So, after celebrating with Charlie and some of the rest of the gang, he set his plan in action. What he didn't tell his parents, and only a select few, Charlie included, only knew, was that he enrolled in the Army. On his 18th birthday, he was able to enroll without his parent's permission. And around 2 in the morning, he got his clothes in his old large duffel bag packed up. He walked towards Rerun's room and left him the keys to his car and a note in an envelope for him. Then he walked passed Lucy's room. What he saw was her giant stomach sticking out as a result of her pajama top being way too small to contain that fat gut. She was snoring up a storm. He knew he wouldn't be able to wake her because of how deep she slept. There was no note for her. He just whispered, "Good riddance, bitch!"

He made sure he was extra quiet when he passed his parents room. Had he woke up his mother, she would have tried to stop him because she wanted him to help take care of his bitch of a sister. And that was the last thing he wanted to do, especially after everything he endured growing up with her. So as he snuck out the door, he sat on the porch and waited for his ride to come. Charlie pulled up slowly in his Mustang with the lights out so not to wake up Larry and Lacey. Once he was in front of the house, Linus threw his bag in the back seat and hopped into the front. Charlie took off for the army base where Linus would be leaving from.

Once there, Charlie said to Linus, "Well, let me know when you get back."

"You'll be the first to know, Charlie," assured Linus. "Well, take care of yourself, man."

"You too," said Charlie. "And don't mouth off to the drill sergeants."

"I'll remember that." And the two friends hugged. Linus then grabbed a few things from his duffel bag. He was going to leave it with Charlie while he was gone at training. After that he hopped on the bus. Charlie left for home after the bus took off.

The next day, Lacey Van Pelt was frantic about Linus being gone. She tried to have Larry call his cell phone, but he wasn't answering.

"Where could he have went?!" panicked Lacey. "His car is still here but he's nowhere in sight!" Rerun walked in.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Your brother is missing!" cried Lacey.

"No he's not," said Rerun.

"Do you know where he is?" demanded Lacey.

"Yeah. He left me a note." And Rerun handed it to his mother. She read it.

"Larry!" she gasped. "Our son has left for the Army!"

"Really?' asked Larry. He almost smiled, but held back so not to earn Lacey's wrath.

Lucy then waddled in, still in her PJ's. "What's happening?" she yawned.

"Linus joined the Army, Lucy," said Larry.

"That blockhead will never survive that," she retorted. "What's for breakfast?"

"Your favorite, Frosted Flakes," sneered Rerun. He still harbored animosity towards Lucy for landing him in the hospital after beating him up those years ago over eating the last cookie. "And we promise, we didn't eat it all up! It's all yours!"

"Now my favorite is Corn Pops," Lucy announced.

"What the actual fuck?!" groaned Rerun. "Anyway, mom, Linus left me his truck, and the title to sign in my name."

"What?!" yelled Lucy. "I need that truck more than you do!"

"Well I'm 16 now, sister dear," said Rerun, "and Linus left it to me, whether you like it or not!"

"Why you…"

"Uh, uh, uh!" taunted Rerun. "Remember what Linus said. One finger of yours touches mine, you better hope God gets you first before he does! And even if it'll be a while before he gets back from training, he will hear about it when he gets back!" Lucy backed off. She had lost this battle. But the war would continue for a few more years.

"That's enough, you two!" said Larry. "Now Lucy, if Linus left Liam his truck, it's HIS truck and not yours. Despite what you say, your baby brother won't be your personal chauffer. And Lace, Linus is old enough now to make his own decisions. While I agree that he should have let us know that he was doing this, it's still his choice and while you don't have to agree with it, you will have to respect it!"

"He'll probably get court-martialed for desertion," joked Lucy.

"Good grief!" groaned Rerun.

**NEXT CHAPTER: CHARLIE THE CHEF**


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CHARLIE**

At 25, Charlie had come into his own. He was now a certified chef and working at a prestigious restaurant in Vallejo, California. He used all of his knowledge as a top chef and even did some of his own creations that even his bosses liked that they put it on the menu. His parents could also be part of his employee discount for meals whenever they came in to eat at the restaurant when they were in town.

But Charlie had another plan in the works. He wanted to open his own restaurant, where he could serve the food he liked to make. So one day while in San Francisco, he was meeting with a potential business partner. A woman stepped out of an office and went to greet Charlie.

"Are you Mr. Brown?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," said Charlie.

"My name is Susan Franks. We talked on the phone."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Franks."

"Please, you can call me Susan. If we're going to work together, we can skip the formalities. Anyway, I looked over your plans for your own restaurant, and I have to say I am interested in starting something with you to get this to happen."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. First we have to start out planning and looking for a spot to build your restaurant, come up with a clever name for the place, financing, all that good stuff." And Charlie and Susan got to work on planning his restaurant right away.

_**One year later…**_

The grand opening of Charlie's new restaurant was happening. His parents, along with Sally and Schroeder were there for the opening. Linus was still deployed overseas but sent his well-wishes on a successful opening via web chat. Charlie was elated to have his own place of business. He learned about running his own business from watching his father work at the barber shop for all those years. Sally even picked up on some of that knowledge, as well, as she was going to school to become a hair stylist and possibly open up her own salon down the road. Schroeder had gotten a job as a music teacher and a spot in the orchestra in Philadelphia, where he and Sally were now living.

As Charlie cut the ribbon in front of his new restaurant called Brown's Bistro, everyone went in to try out the meals they offered. And everyone loved the food, much to Charlie's delight. He had proven Lucy, and all other detractors wrong. He was successful and now he had his own business. The partnership between him and Susan worked out tremendously. He joined his family at a private table set up for them to chat a while as they waited for their meals.

**NEXT CHAPTER: VIOLET'S DEAL OF A LIFETIME**


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: STRIKE A POSE**

After graduating from college, Violet was sending out resumes to any and all agents about her work that she did while in school. She took up acting classes while still in school, and even started singing in case of landing a part in a musical. Violet also dabbled in modeling to help pay for school. She was making good money and building up a good reputation around Los Angeles that she was a sure thing for photographers. And one day, a big wig came by to see the next Cindy Crawford, as they told her she was.

Violet was sitting on a couch at the agency where she got work at. The man with slick salt-and-pepper hair and slender frame came in and said, "You must be Violet Gray!"

"Yes, I am," she responded.

"My name is Maurice Fletcher," he announced. "And I want to use you for my latest fashion designs!"

"Really?" said a bewildered Violet.

"Darling, you have the 'it' look!" said an enthusiastic Maurice. "And it's your look that I need for my line of clothing!"

Violet was beside herself with happiness. She was being offered an exclusive contract to model someone's clothing line. She said, "Where do I sign?"

Weeks later, Violet was in New York City modeling for Maurice Fletcher's brand, Lady Inc., which was a top brand in ladies clothing. Her high school sweetheart, Michael, was there for the ride, as was her personal stylist, Chico. Violet modeled everything from formal wear to swimwear. She also modeled outerwear and lingerie. And she made a fortune on her jobs.

Not too long after her job in New York, Violet and Michael, along with Chico, had came back to LA. A few days after coming back, Violet had received another job for Maurice, but this time in Hawaii for his tropical summer line. She was getting more work through her association with Maurice. No one would have thought Violet Gray would be a successful model. But her happiness would be cut short in the most unexpected way.

While in Hawaii, Michael and Chico had disappeared from the shoot. While Violet figured she'd see Michael later, Chico was her stylist. His absence didn't make sense. So after the shoot, she decided to see where her boyfriend and stylist had disappeared to. She got back to the hotel they were staying at and went up to her room. When she got in she saw Michael and Chico making out.

"What the hell is this?!" she yelled.

"Violet!" said a surprised Michael. "I can explain…"

"Save it!" said an angry Violet. She looked at Chico. "First of all, you're fired!" Chico just scoffed. She turned back to Michael. "As for you, you can get the fuck out of my room and head back to LA. I'll even pay for your ticket home! Oh, and when you do get back, I expect your belongings out of my apartment, or when I get back, they will be out on the curbside. Or better yet, share Chico's room and when we get back, then you can grab your things!"

She then kicked out both Michael and Chico. Violet then sat down on her bed and started crying. Her high school sweetheart turned out to be gay. That wasn't the problem, but the fact that he deceived her for this long and with her stylist, that was more unforgivable. She decided to finish the shoot and afterward, take some time off for herself to get over Michael's cheating.

**NEXT CHAPTER: THE DOCTOR IS IN… SANE!**


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: LUCY'S COLLEGE DAYS**

Lucy's college days were very short-lived. After graduation she also enrolled in Sparkyville Community College like Linus. But while he had day classes, she had night classes. And she decided to do Psychology for real, as she figured her psychiatric booth gave her enough experience and practice for the subject. But she was in for a rude awakening.

One day during class, the professor was giving a lecture where the students participated. He asked the students, "If someone was having a personal crisis, how would you help that person out?"

"Well I would try to find the root of the crisis and see what he or she could do to correct it," said one student.

"Well it's obvious this person did something wrong in her past to have this 'crisis'," said Lucy. "They have sinned and they're being punished through their so-called crisis."

The class looked at her, confused. Finally, one student said, "Are you freaking serious, Van Pelt?! That makes as much sense as the existence of Bigfoot!"

"That was a stupid analogy!" said another.

"Are you a moron or something?!" asked a third student.

"Ms. Van Pelt, how would that help the person out?" asked the professor.

"Well, if they knew that they did wrong, they can fix where they went wrong thus fixing the personal crisis," Lucy said, satisfied with her reasoning. All of the class laughed at her. She started turning red with anger.

"WELL WHAT DO YOU ASSHOLES KNOW?!" Lucy lashed out.

"Ms. Van Pelt, control yourself!" pleaded the professor.

"OH FUCK OFF, PROF!" Lucy spat. Needless to say, her college days didn't last long.

A few years later, after Linus moved out, Lucy found herself working at a burger joint. She was mediocre at best, at worst she was an awful employee. But that was the least of the manager's issues with her. Her bad hygiene didn't do her any favors. Plus with her weight gain, she wasn't the fastest person there.

One day at work, the manager came up to Lucy. He started, "Lucy, may I talk to you for a second in the office?"

Lucy looked concerned, but walked into the office, wondering what was going on. When she got in she asked, "What can I do for you, Dean?"

"Lucy we've been getting complaints about you arguing with customers," Dean began. "Some have even went as far as saying you threaten harm to them. Not to mention your lack of good hygiene. I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go."

"You're firing me?!" said Lucy, growing angry.

"Don't make this harder than it already is, Lucy," said Dean, calmly. "I will still pay you for the week. Don't worry, I'll clear it with the higher-ups."

"I still owe on student loans from college!" shouted Lucy. "Plus rent is due next week!"

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Dean replied. "We have to think about the safety of our customers and fellow employees. You can turn in your uniform when you come back to collect your final check, provided it's properly washed."

Lucy fumed, but didn't say or do anything else. She just stormed out of the restaurant and went home. Back at her apartment, her landlord was waiting for her.

"Hey, Van Pelt!" he grunted.

"Oh, hey, Mr. Martinez," she greeted.

"When am I going to get the rent?" Mr. Martinez asked.

"I get paid next week," said Lucy. "You'll have it then."

"I better!" Martinez warned. "You're already a month behind. It's a good thing your father, Larry, is a good friend of mine, otherwise you'd be out on your fat ass a long time ago!" Lucy was about to haul off on Mr. Martinez, but in a rarity for her, thought otherwise.

"Anyway, have my rent by next week Friday," he finished, "or you WILL be out on your ass, friendship with your old man be damned!" And he went back into his apartment.

"Asshole!" Lucy muttered under her breath.

"I heard that!" Mr. Martinez shouted from behind his apartment door. Lucy went up to her apartment. It started to hurt when she walked, due to her massive weight gain. She was tipping the scales at 480 pounds by this point, and, with the exception of her parents and Mr. Martinez (the latter only because she was a tenant), no one was talking to her.

Linus had cut her out of his life the day he left. Whenever he did call his parents once in a while, or if they called him, Lucy was the furthest thing from his mind. He didn't want anything to do with her, and he made it clear on more than one occasion. Rerun wanted even less than Linus to do with her, and yet, he was doing worse than Lucy was at this point. One thing Lucy could say that, with the exception of an incident back in school where she attacked her baby brother over a cookie, she avoided trouble with the law. Rerun had gotten in with the wrong crowd, as of late. He had just gotten sentenced to a few years in prison due to petty theft. He had also gotten hooked on drugs, due to his issues with Lucy and their parents.

On the flipside, Linus took the more positive route. He enrolled in the army and even rose in the ranks, becoming a sergeant. Then he was stationed in Syria. During a battle with rogue forces, Linus got shot and wounded in his leg. He had to have his leg amputated as a result of the damage. When he was airlifted back to Sparkyville, he never got a visit from his family. Rerun was serving his time, so in his case, he had an excuse. And Linus didn't want anything to do with Lucy, so she was exempt, as well. But he figured at least his parents would be concerned about what happened to him, but nope. They had to help Lucy find a job and a new apartment. The only family that did come to visit was the Browns, including Charlie and Sally, who flew in from California and Pennsylvania, respectively. He figured his best friend's family was more of a family than his own. Other old friends like Tricia, Frieda, and Pig Pen came to see him, as well.

By the time Lucy was in her new apartment, which was much smaller than her place with Mr. Martinez, she was even more overweight at 535 pounds. She had developed diabetes and at least still on her parent's health plan, so she could get her meds. She was walking with a walker. At least this place had an elevator so she could go up and down without using stairs. Her parents were helping with paying her rent and even getting her credit cards so she could do some grocery shopping. But Lucy hated to cook, so she opted to go to fancy expensive restaurants to eat. The one thing she still made was cold cereal in the morning. Out of touch with everyone, aside from her parents, and with both of her brothers not talking to her, she had become a recluse. Lucy had become what Linus had always called her: a lost cause.

**THE END OF #11**

_**NEXT TIME, #12: THE B**** IS DEAD**_


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